ENROLLED
       2013 Legislature                   CS for SB 1398, 1st Engrossed
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                                             20131398er
    1  
    2         An act relating to real estate appraisers; amending s.
    3         475.617, F.S.; revising terminology applicable to
    4         education requirements for registered trainee
    5         appraisers, certified residential appraisers, and
    6         certified general appraisers; authorizing qualifying
    7         education courses completed by applicants for
    8         registration as a trainee or certification as a
    9         residential appraiser or general appraiser to be
   10         completed through distance learning; revising the
   11         education and experience requirements for certified
   12         residential appraisers and certified general
   13         appraisers according to certain real property
   14         appraiser qualification criteria adopted by the
   15         Appraiser Qualifications Board of the Appraisal
   16         Foundation on a specified date; authorizing the use of
   17         a distance learning course; providing requirements for
   18         a distance learning course and a final examination;
   19         providing an effective date.
   20  
   21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   22  
   23         Section 1. Section 475.617, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   24  read:
   25         475.617 Education and experience requirements.—
   26         (1) To be registered as a trainee appraiser, an applicant
   27  must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
   28  has successfully completed at least 100 hours of approved
   29  qualifying education academic courses in subjects related to
   30  real estate appraisal, which must include coverage of the
   31  Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, or its
   32  equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
   33  nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
   34  organization, career center, accredited community college,
   35  college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
   36  or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
   37  to s. 475.451. The board may increase the required number of
   38  hours to not more than 125 hours. All qualifying education
   39  courses may be completed through in-person classroom instruction
   40  or distance learning. A classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes
   41  out of each 60-minute segment. Past courses may be approved on
   42  an hour-for-hour basis.
   43         (2) To be certified as a residential appraiser, an
   44  applicant must present satisfactory evidence to the board that
   45  she or he has met the minimum education and experience
   46  requirements prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall
   47  prescribe by rule education and experience requirements that
   48  meet or exceed the following real property appraiser
   49  qualification criteria adopted on December 9, 2011 February 20,
   50  2004, by the Appraisal Qualifications Board of the Appraisal
   51  Foundation:
   52         (a) Has at least 2,500 hours of experience obtained over a
   53  24-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
   54         (b) Has successfully completed at least 200 classroom
   55  hours, inclusive of examination, of approved qualifying
   56  education academic courses in subjects related to real estate
   57  appraisal, which must include a 15-hour National Uniform
   58  Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course, or its
   59  equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
   60  nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
   61  organization, career center, accredited community college,
   62  college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
   63  or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
   64  to s. 475.451. All qualifying education courses may be completed
   65  through in-person classroom instruction or distance learning. A
   66  classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute
   67  segment. Past courses may be approved by the board and
   68  substituted on an hour-for-hour basis.
   69         (3) To be certified as a general appraiser, an applicant
   70  must present evidence satisfactory to the board that she or he
   71  has met the minimum education and experience requirements
   72  prescribed by rule of the board. The board shall prescribe
   73  education and experience requirements that meet or exceed the
   74  following real property appraiser qualification criteria adopted
   75  on December 9, 2011 February 20, 2004, by the Appraisal
   76  Qualifications Board of the Appraisal Foundation:
   77         (a) Has at least 3,000 hours of experience obtained over a
   78  30-month period in real property appraisal as defined by rule.
   79         (b) Has successfully completed at least 300 classroom
   80  hours, inclusive of examination, of approved qualifying
   81  education academic courses in subjects related to real estate
   82  appraisal, which must include a 15-hour National Uniform
   83  Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course, or its
   84  equivalent, as established by rule of the board, from a
   85  nationally recognized or state-recognized appraisal
   86  organization, career center, accredited community college,
   87  college, or university, state or federal agency or commission,
   88  or proprietary real estate school that holds a permit pursuant
   89  to s. 475.451. All qualifying education courses may be completed
   90  through in-person classroom instruction or distance learning. A
   91  classroom hour is defined as 50 minutes out of each 60-minute
   92  segment. Past courses may be approved by the board and
   93  substituted on an hour-for-hour basis.
   94         (4) A distance learning course may be approved by the board
   95  as an option to classroom hours for satisfactory completion of
   96  the academic courses required under this section. The schools
   97  authorized by this section have the option of providing
   98  classroom courses, distance learning courses, or both.
   99         (a) A distance learning course must use a delivery method
  100  that is certified or approved by a board-authorized independent
  101  certifying organization.
  102         (b) A distance learning course intended for use as academic
  103  education must include a written, closed-book final examination.
  104  As used in this paragraph, the term “written” refers to an exam
  105  that might be written on paper or administered electronically on
  106  a computer workstation or other device. Oral exams are not
  107  acceptable.
  108         (5)(4) Each applicant must furnish, under oath, a detailed
  109  statement of the experience for each year of experience she or
  110  he claims. Upon request, the applicant shall furnish to the
  111  board, for its examination, copies of appraisal reports or file
  112  memoranda to support the claim for experience. Any appraisal
  113  report or file memoranda used to support a claim for experience
  114  must be maintained by the applicant for no less than 5 years
  115  after the date of certification.
  116         (6)(5) The board may implement the provisions of this
  117  section by rule.
  118         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.